Owned by the Bransford Trust, the multi-million pound redevelopment of Worcester’s historic Royal Porcelain Works commenced over 2 years ago, first opening to the public in June 2018 with phase one, featuring The ‘Henry Sandon’ Hall. The 1852 showroom is at the heart of the development, refurbished to become a 140 seat capacity multi-use arts and entertainment venue, adjoining The Foyer; the perfect breakout space for events hosted in The Hall, or as a standalone event space, with the option to utilise the fully licensed bar.
The Hall sits alongside Nest Worcester, our onsite Café, Bar and Deli; a unique, quirky, casual but comfortable, family friendly licensed café serving wonderful fresh, simple food, delicious fair-trade coffee and teas, alongside a very local deli, with an excellent bakery section featuring artisan breads and cakes, regional beers, wines and spirits.
Above the Nest is The Boardroom; providing a flexible space for off-site meetings and presentations and The Studio; named after Samuel Driver White, is a space dedicated to providing facilities and opportunity for local artists and craftspeople to showcase their work and demonstrate their skills, in a purpose-built arts workshop and studio.
The county of Worcestershire and fine ceramics have been inextricably linked for more than 250 years. Beside the River Severn in Worcester, Dr John Wall invented a new method of creating porcelain and established the Warmstry Works.
In 1788, one of Dr Wall’s first apprentices, Robert Chamberlain, established his own factory in Severn Street, which became the heart of Worcester’s famous Royal Porcelain Works. Chamberlain was a highly talented artist and craftsman who soon gained recognition as a ceramic manufacturer of distinction. In 1840, the rival companies of Chamberlain’s and Flight, Barr and Barr joined forces at Severn Street, becoming Chamberlain and Co, significantly expanding and modifying the Works as a result. Following William Kerr’s involvement in 1850, further investment saw the creation of the iconic showroom in 1852, designed by Robert Armstrong and now destined to become The Hall, named after Henry Sandon.
The origins of the Royal Worcester Porcelain Company can be traced back to the formation of the Worcester Tonquin Manufacture, a precursor company formed in 1751. Together with ‘Derby Porcelain’, later known as the Royal Crown Derby Porcelain Company which was founded at around the same time, the enterprise was one of the two earliest porcelain manufacturers in Britain, initially producing ‘soft-paste’ porcelain. ‘Hardpaste’ porcelain, pioneered in Europe by von Tschirnhaus and Böttger at Meissen in the early 18th century, was not in general production in Britain until the 1770s.
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Coming later this year, the Bransford Trust will launch the final phase in the redevelopment of the Royal Porcelain Works site, which will introduce a brand new gallery space and affordable work spaces for artists and creative businesses.
The new offering will join Piston Gin Distillery and Shop and will introduce a new reception for Royal Porcelain Works development and an independent retail unit which will enable artists working on-site to sell their wares. The original painting house will be made into an incubation space for start-up creative businesses and artists, creating a buzzing artist community.
The ground floor and first floor workshop spaces will be available either as single spaces or shared collective working spaces for artists, ceramicists, potters, photographers and alike. So important to the region’s cultural identity, The Royal Porcelain Works raises the profile of the fantastic level of artistry and craftsmanship that exists locally, helping ensure these skills remain relevant to future generations and those traditions for which the city of Worcester is renowned live on.
The new offering will join Piston Gin Distillery and Shop and will introduce a new reception for Royal Porcelain Works development and an independent retail unit which will enable artists working on-site to sell their wares. The original painting house will be made into an incubation space for start-up creative businesses and artists, creating a buzzing artist community.
The ground floor and first floor workshop spaces will be available either as single spaces or shared collective working spaces for artists, ceramicists, potters, photographers and alike. So important to the region’s cultural identity, The Royal Porcelain Works raises the profile of the fantastic level of artistry and craftsmanship that exists locally, helping ensure these skills remain relevant to future generations and those traditions for which the city of Worcester is renowned live on.
The Bransford Trust is a long-standing supporter of the arts in Worcestershire. With the development of The Royal Porcelain Works, the Trust is providing a flexible facility in the heart of the city to encourage increased participation in the arts - via engagement of the local community and the encouragement of tourism.Providing support for charitable initiatives in the Worcester area that deliver educational, cultural, sporting, community and healthcare benefits, the Bransford Trust has a particular focus on the development and wellbeing of young people and seeks to support activities that provide facilities and create opportunities in line with this emphasis. The Trust invites applications for funding from local organisations that will be used to enable work aligned with its objectives.
